Cell broadcast for smart traffic steering across radio technologies with improved radio efficiency

ABSTRACT

Traffic associated with user equipment that are coupled to a first radio access network is steered to a second radio access network based on an adaptable signal strength criterion. The signal strength criterion is related to real-time network load conditions of the first radio access network and can be broadcasted from a serving access point to the user equipment. Moreover, the signal strength criterion facilitates steering, to the second radio network, traffic associated with user equipment that are located closer to a cell edge of the first radio access network before steering traffic associated with user equipment are located further away from the cell edge. In addition, based on the network congestion within the first radio access network, the signal strength criterion is modified to adjust the number of user equipment that are steered to the second radio network.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This patent application is a continuation of, and claims priority toU.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/018,045, filed on Sep. 4, 2013, andentitled “CELL BROADCAST FOR SMART TRAFFIC STEERING ACROSS RADIOTECHNOLOGIES WITH IMPROVED RADIO EFFICIENCY”. The entirety of theforegoing application is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The subject disclosure relates to wireless communications, e.g., to cellbroadcast for traffic steering across radio technologies with increasedradio efficiency.

BACKGROUND

With an explosive growth in utilization of communication devices, mobiletelecommunications carriers are seeing an exponential increase innetwork traffic. To meet the demands of higher traffic, conventionalsystems employ traffic steering mechanisms that offload mobile trafficfrom a cellular network to an overlapping Wi-Fi network. By using Wi-Finetworks, for example, in indoor locations, mobile telecommunicationscarriers can deliver a superior customer experience and cost effectivelyboost network performance for the end user. However, the decision tosteer a mobile device from the cellular network to the Wi-Fi network (orvice versa) is based on Wi-Fi availability. This could lead to undesirednetwork utilization across various radio access technologies and/ornegatively affect user experience.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system that facilitates network selectionbased on an adaptable signal strength criterion.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example system for determining an adaptable signalstrength criterion that improves radio efficiency during trafficsteering.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example system comprising a user equipment thatfacilitates efficient network selection.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate example systems that facilitate trafficsteering based on an adaptive signal strength criterion.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example system that facilitates query-basednetwork selection.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example system that facilitates network selectionbased on stored signal strength criteria.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example system that offloads a portion of userequipment from a first radio access network (RAN) to a second RAN basedon random number generation.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example system that facilitates automating one ormore features in accordance with the subject embodiments.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example method that facilitates a transmission ofa signal strength criterion that is to be employed for efficient trafficsteering.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example method that facilitates network selectionto efficiently steer a user equipment from a first RAN to a second RAN.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example method for determining whether a userequipment is to be steered from a first RAN to a second RAN.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example method that facilitates query-basednetwork selection.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example block diagram of a user equipmentsuitable for network selection based on an adaptable signal strengthcriterion.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example block diagram of an access point suitablefor traffic steering based on an adaptable signal strength criterion.

FIG. 15 illustrates an example wireless communication environment fornetwork selection based on an adaptable signal strength criterion.

FIG. 16 illustrates a block diagram of a computer operable to executethe disclosed communication architecture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One or more embodiments are now described with reference to thedrawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to likeelements throughout. In the following description, for purposes ofexplanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to providea thorough understanding of the various embodiments. It may be evident,however, that the various embodiments can be practiced without thesespecific details, e.g., without applying to any particular networkedenvironment or standard. In other instances, well-known structures anddevices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitatedescribing the embodiments in additional detail.

As used in this application, the terms “component,” “module,” “system,”“interface,” “node,” “platform,” or the like are generally intended torefer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, a combination ofhardware and software, software, or software in execution or an entityrelated to an operational machine with one or more specificfunctionalities. For example, a component may be, but is not limited tobeing, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, anexecutable, a thread of execution, computer-executable instruction(s), aprogram, and/or a computer. By way of illustration, both an applicationrunning on a controller and the controller can be a component. One ormore components may reside within a process and/or thread of executionand a component may be localized on one computer and/or distributedbetween two or more computers. As another example, an interface caninclude input/output (I/O) components as well as associated processor,application, and/or API components.

Further, the various embodiments can be implemented as a method,apparatus, or article of manufacture using standard programming and/orengineering techniques to produce software, firmware, hardware, or anycombination thereof to control a computer to implement one or moreaspects of the disclosed subject matter. An article of manufacture canencompass a computer program accessible from any computer-readabledevice or computer-readable storage/communications media. For example,computer readable storage media can include but are not limited tomagnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strips. . . ), optical disks (e.g., compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk(DVD) . . . ), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., card, stick,key drive . . . ). Of course, those skilled in the art will recognizemany modifications can be made to this configuration without departingfrom the scope or spirit of the various embodiments.

In addition, the word “example” or “exemplary” is used herein to meanserving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any aspect or designdescribed herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed aspreferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs. Rather, use ofthe word exemplary is intended to present concepts in a concretefashion. As used in this application, the term “or” is intended to meanan inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or.” That is, unlessspecified otherwise, or clear from context, “X employs A or B” isintended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, ifX employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then “X employs Aor B” is satisfied under any of the foregoing instances. In addition,the articles “a” and “an” as used in this application and the appendedclaims should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unlessspecified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singularform.

Moreover, terms like “user equipment,” “communication device,” “mobiledevice,” “mobile terminal,” and similar terminology, refer to a wired orwireless device utilized by a subscriber or user of a wired or wirelesscommunication service to receive or convey data, control, voice, video,sound, gaming, or substantially any data-stream or signaling-stream. Theforegoing terms are utilized interchangeably in the subjectspecification and related drawings. Data and signaling streams can bepacketized or frame-based flows. Aspects or features of the disclosedsubject matter can be exploited in substantially any wired or wirelesscommunication technology; e.g., Universal Mobile TelecommunicationsSystem (UMTS), Wi-Fi, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access(WiMAX), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced GPRS, ThirdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE), ThirdGeneration Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2) Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB),High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Zigbee, or another IEEE 802.XXtechnology. Additionally, substantially all aspects of the disclosedsubject matter can be exploited in legacy (e.g., wireline)telecommunication technologies.

Furthermore, the terms “user,” “subscriber,” “consumer,” and the likeare employed interchangeably throughout the subject specification,unless context warrants particular distinction(s) among the terms. Itshould be appreciated that such terms can refer to human entities orautomated components supported through artificial intelligence (e.g., acapacity to make inference based on complex mathematical formalisms),which can provide simulated vision, sound recognition and so forth.

Conventional traffic steering mechanisms utilized to offload mobiletraffic from a cellular network to a Wi-Fi network are typically basedon Wi-Fi availability. For example, when a Wi-Fi network is detected, amobile terminal can switch from the cellular network to the Wi-Finetwork. Thus, the steering decision is network load condition blind andcan lead to undesired network utilization across various radio accesstechnologies and/or poor user experience. The systems and methodsdisclosed herein facilitate steering of user traffic to a radio networkbased on an analysis of real-time radio loading condition of a servingcell to improve overall network performance and user experience. As anexample, the terms “traffic steering” as used herein can refer todirecting, attempting to direct, and/or instructing to direct or deliverat least a port of traffic (data flows/packets) associated with acommunication device from a first access point to a second access point.In one aspect, a network device can provide the real-time network loadinformation and a device steering criterion (e.g., an adaptive cellularsignal strength threshold (SST) information) to the mobile terminalserved by the cellular network, which in turn can utilize theinformation to determine whether or not the mobile terminal shouldconnect to a target radio network (e.g., Wi-Fi network). The SSTinformation enables the cellular network to steer mobile terminals thatare located at a cell edge to the target radio network before steeringmobile terminals that are not located at the cell edge to the targetradio network. In addition, the SST information enables the cellularnetwork to adjust the number of mobile terminals that are steered to thetarget radio network depending on the real-time network cellularcongestion conditions.

Referring initially to FIG. 1, there illustrated is an example system100 that facilitates network selection based on a signal strength (SS)criterion, according to one or more aspects of the disclosed subjectmatter. System 100 can comprise a user equipment (UE) 102, served by anaccess point 104 of a first radio network that employs SS criterion datato facilitate cell/network selection. As an example, UE 102 can includemost any electronic communication device such as, but not limited to,most any consumer electronic device, for example, a tablet computer, adigital media player, a digital photo frame, a digital camera, acellular phone, a personal computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA),a smart phone, a laptop, a gaming system, etc. Further, UE 102 can alsoinclude, LTE-based devices, such as, but not limited to, most any homeor commercial appliance that includes an LTE radio. It can be noted thatUE 102 can be mobile, have limited mobility and/or be stationary. In oneexample, UE 102 can include a multi-band, multi-mode, and/or multi-radiodevice.

In one embodiment, access point 104 (e.g., base station, eNodeB, femtoaccess point, HomeNodeB, etc.) can determine network load informationthat represents mobile traffic handled by the access point 104. As anexample, the network load information can represent a number of UEsserved by the access point 104, load/bandwidth utilization of the UEsand/or load and/or bandwidth conditions associated with a transmissionlink that couples the access point 104 to the core cellular network. Inone aspect, the access point 104 can also determine a classificationassociated with network congestion based on the network loadinformation. For example, the network congestion can be classified as“High,” “Medium,” “Low,” etc. Additionally or alternatively, apercentage value (e.g., 90% congested, 75% congested, etc.) representingthe network load can also be determined. Based on the network loadinformation, the access point 104 can determine SS criterion data 106,such as, but not limited to a signal strength threshold (SST) value. Inone aspect, the SS criterion data 106 can be modified to select specificUEs (e.g., UEs that are near a cell edge) and/or adjust the number ofUEs that are steered to a target radio network (e.g., a Wi-Fi network).It can be noted that the SST value corresponding to a specific networkload and/or congestion classification can be static (e.g., constantvalue) or dynamic (e.g., changes based on network conditions). Theaccess point 104 can transmit (e.g., periodically, on demand, inresponse to determining a change in the network load classification,etc.) the SS criterion data 106 to one or more UEs (including UE 102)that are served by the access point 104. Additionally or optionally, theaccess point 104 can transmit (e.g., periodically, on demand, inresponse to detecting an event, etc.) network load data 108 comprisingthe network load classification and/or percentage data to the one ormore UEs (including UE 102). As an example, the access point 104 cantransmit the SS criterion data 106 and/or network load data 108 via aset of cell broadcast messages (e.g., system information block message)via one or more layers (different radio access technologies (RATs)and/or frequencies).

The UE 102 can receive the SS criterion data 106 and/or network loaddata 108 and utilize the received information to determine whether theUE 102 should connect to a target access point 110 of the target radioaccess network (RAN). In one aspect, a network selection component 112can determine whether a received signal strength associated with asignal transmitted by the access point 104 satisfies the SS criterion.For example, if the received signal strength is less than a SSTspecified by the SS criterion, the network selection component 112 canfacilitate a connection of the UE 102 with the target access point 110;else, if the received signal strength is greater than the SST, thenetwork selection component 112 can instruct the UE 102 to continue tobe coupled to the access point 104 and direct data traffic via theaccess point 104. Although the network selection component 112 isdepicted to reside within the UE 102, it can be noted that at least aportion of the network selection component 112 can reside outside the UE102, for example, in a device locally or remotely coupled to the UE 102,within the access point 104, and/or a network device within the mobilitynetwork. In another example, the network selection component 112 can bedistributed over multiple devices (e.g., including UE 102) coupled toeach other. Thus, the UE 102 is not limited to solely making a networkselection decision and can participate in a joint selection process withone or more devices (not shown) that are coupled to the UE 102.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there illustrated is an example system 200 fordetermining a SS criterion that improves radio efficiency during trafficsteering, in accordance with an aspect of the subject disclosure. In oneaspect, system 200 facilitates determination of a SST that can beutilized by UEs to facilitate a selection of a RAN for communication. Itis noted that the access point 104 and the target access point 110 caninclude functionality as more fully described herein, for example, asdescribed above with regard to system 100. Further, the UEs 102 ₁-102_(N) (where N is a most any positive integer) can comprise most anycommunication devices that are communicatively coupled to the accesspoint 104. Moreover, UEs 102 ₁-102 _(N) can be substantially similar UE102 and can include functionality as more fully described herein, forexample, as described above with regard to UE 102. In one example, thetarget access point 110 can include, but is not limited to an accesspoint that is operated and/or deployed by a service provider of thecommunication network 204, and that utilizes the same or different radiotechnologies for communication with the UEs 102 ₁-102 _(N) as utilizedby access point 104.

According to an embodiment, access point 104 can include a loaddetermination component 202 that is utilized to determine currentnetwork load conditions associated with the access point 104. The loaddetermination component 202 can determine load utilization on radiolinks (e.g., between access point 104 and UEs 102 ₁-102 _(N)) and/or atransport link (e.g., between access point 104 and the communicationnetwork 204. Additionally or optionally, the load determinationcomponent 202 can collect load information of neighboring access point(e.g., eNB, HNB, base stations, etc. deployed by the communicationnetwork 204), for example, via X2 interfaces enabled by Self OrganizingNetwork (SON) and/or most any other transport mechanisms. In oneexample, the load determination component 202 can also receive loadinformation of an overlapping cell from other RATs or frequencies. Forexample, the load determination component 202 can receive loadinformation of the target access point 110 that can be utilizedfacilitate traffic steering. Based on the determined and/or receivedload information, the load determination component 202 can determine aclassification and/or category associated with network congestion. Forexample, the load determination component 202 can classify the networkload/congestion as High, Medium, Low, Normal, etc. Additionally oralternatively, the load determination component 202 can determine apercentage value (e.g., 90% congested, 75% congested, etc.) representingthe network load.

Based on the network load information, a SS criterion determinationcomponent 208 can determine SS criterion data, such as, but not limitedto a SST value (e.g., −108 dB, −105 dB, etc.) and/or range (e.g., −108to −109 dB). As an example, as the network congestion increases, the SSTvalue can be increased (and/or SS range can be increased), such that agreater number of UEs (e.g., UEs 102 ₁-102 _(N)) can be steered to atarget radio network (e.g., wireless local area network (WLAN), a Wi-Finetwork, a femtocell network, etc.). Additionally or alternatively, theSST value or SS range data can be selected in a manner such that UEsthat are closer to a cell edge (e.g., further away from the access point104) can be steered to the target radio network before steering the UEsthat are not close to the cell edge. In another example, the SST valueor SS range data can be selected in a manner such that UEs that arecloser to target access point 110 can be steered to the target radionetwork before steering the UEs that further away from the target accesspoint 110. In one aspect, operator defined network policies 210 can beutilized to facilitate the determination of SS criterion. For example,the operator defined network policies 210 can specify the SST valuesand/or ranges corresponding to different network load conditions. Inanother aspect, the SS criterion determination component 208 can employhistorical data (e.g., previously utilized SST values/ranges thatimproved radio network efficiency) and/or automated learning mechanisms(e.g., described in detail with respect to FIG. 8) to determine the SScriterion. Further, in yet another example, the SST values and/or rangescan be customized based on a type of target radio network (e.g.,different SST values and/or ranges can be assigned for macro networks,femto network, Wi-Fi network, etc.). It can be noted that the mappingbetween the network load/congestion and the SST values can be static ordynamic. For example, the mapping can depend on target cell distributionand/or UE distribution within a coverage area of the access point 104that can change over time.

To initiate the traffic steering, a data transfer component 212 cantransmit the information determined by the load determination component202 and/or the SS criterion determination component 208 to one or moreof the UEs 102 ₁-102 _(N). Moreover, the data transfer component 212 cantransmit load information regarding (i) the access point 104; andoptionally (ii) the neighboring access point 206; and/or (iii)overlapping cells from other RATs or frequencies (e.g., target accesspoint 110). As an example, the load information can be in the format ofcategories (e.g., High, Medium, Low), or in the format of percentages(e.g., 70% congested, 90% congested, etc.). In addition, the datatransfer component 212 can transmit the adaptive SS criterion to one ormore of the UEs 102 ₁-102 _(N). Additionally or optionally, the datatransfer component 212 can transmit cell type information related to thetarget access point 110 (e.g., macro cell, femtocell, WLAN cell, etc.).

Typically, the data transfer component 212 can transmit the loadinformation and/or the SS criterion at various times, such as, but notlimited to, periodically, on demand, based on detecting an event, basedon detecting a change in a network load condition, etc. Further, thedata transfer component 212 can transmit the load information and/or theSS criterion via one or more layers (e.g., different RATs and/orfrequencies). As an example, the data transfer component 212 cantransmit the load information and/or the SS criterion via one or morecell broadcast messages, such as, but not limited to, a SystemInformation Block (SIB) messages. In one embodiment, the loadinformation and/or the SS criterion can be included within or appendedto an SIB message that contains other information. Alternatively, theload information and/or the SS criterion can be transmitted as a new SIBmessage. It is noted that the data transfer component 212 is not limitedto broadcasting the load information and/or the SS criterion data, andthat the data transfer component 212 can transmit the load informationand/or the SS criterion data to one or more of the UEs 102 ₁-102 _(N)via various different messages, such as, but not limited to a ShortMessage Service (SMS) message (e.g., SMS Cell Broadcast (SMS-CB)messages and/or SMS Peer-to-Peer (SMPP) messages), a MultimediaMessaging Service (MMS), an email message, a Wireless ApplicationProtocol (WAP) push message, an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data(USSD), or any combination thereof. Further, the data transfer component212 is not limited to transmitting the same messages to all the UEs 102₁-102 _(N) and the data transfer component 212 can customize themessages for the UEs 102 ₁-102 _(N) based on a subscriber classassociated with the UEs 102 ₁-102 _(N). For example, messagestransmitted to UEs that are associated with a base rate plan can onlyinclude information related to a target access point (e.g., Wi-Fi accesspoint), whereas, messages transmitted to UEs that are associated with ahigher tier subscriber classes can include more comprehensive networkload information (e.g., load information associated with differentlayers of LTE network).

Broadcast messages transmitted by the access point 502 can be received,read and/or followed the UEs 102 ₁-102 _(N), when the UEs 102 ₁-102 _(N)are operating in an idle mode (e.g., no ongoing communication sessions)and/or in a connected mode (e.g., performing an on-going communicationsession). In addition, in one example, when a UE, for example UE 102 ₁,is in an active mode, the UE 102 ₁ can facilitate load management bytransmitting the query to the access point 104, for example, whendetermined that the UE 102 ₁ is suffering the effects of congestionin-call (e.g., poor Quality of Service, dropped packets, interruptions,etc.). For example, if resources grants are getting sparse, the UE 102 ₁can transmit a query to the access point 104 to find a better cell whileoperating in the active mode (e.g., in-call). In one example, if theaccess point 104 is too overloaded to respond to the query, cached loadinformation (e.g., from the last broadcast message) can be transmittedby the access point 104 to the UE 102 ₁. The UE 102 ₁ can utilize theinformation to find a less loaded access point (e.g., target accesspoint 110). In this example case, the UE can take a reception break(e.g., gap-assisted measurements) on the serving cell (e.g., served viaaccess point 104) to find other candidates (e.g., target access point110) with less load during the ongoing communication session.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there illustrated is an example system 300comprising a UE 102 that facilitates efficient network selection,according to an aspect of the subject disclosure. The UE 102 can connectto different RANs (e.g., cellular network and WLAN network) that employdifferent (or the same) RATs and/or frequencies. It is noted that the UE102, the access point 104, the target access point 110, and the networkselection component 112 can include functionality as more fullydescribed herein, for example, as described above with regard to systems100 and 200.

In one aspect, a data reception component 302 can receive the loadinformation and/or the SS criterion transmitted by the access point 104,for example, via a cell broadcast message. As an example, the datareception component 302 can parse the received messages and provide theload information and the SS criterion to the network selection component112 that determines a RAN via which the UE 102 can communicate.According to an aspect, the network selection component 112 analyzes theload information and the SS criterion to select a RAN of available RANs.The network selection component 112 can determine a received signalstrength (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), received signalcode power (RSCP), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), etc.)associated with a signal transmitted by the access point 104. Further,the network selection component 112 can determine whether the receivedsignal strength satisfies the SS criterion. For example, the networkselection component 112 can compare the received signal strength to theSST value and/or SS range. If the received signal strength is lower thanthe SST value (and/or within the SS range), the network selectioncomponent 112 can determine that the UE 102 can steer traffic to thetarget RAN and accordingly, can initiate attachment signaling to connectto the target access point 110. Alternatively, if the received signalstrength is higher than the SST value (and/or outside the SS range), thenetwork selection component 112 can determine that the UE 102 is not tobe steered to the target RAN, and can instruct the UE 102 to continuecommunicating via the access point 104. Since the SST values and/orranges are adapted based on current network conditions, a priorityassociated with UEs that are closer to the cell edge to be steered tothe target RAN is increased.

In addition to the load information and the SS criterion, the networkselection component 112 can employ data stored within a local data store304 (and/or a remote data store (not shown)) to further customize thenetwork selection. It is noted that the data store 304 can includevolatile memory(s) or nonvolatile memory(s), or can include bothvolatile and nonvolatile memory(s). Examples of suitable types ofvolatile and non-volatile memory are described below with reference toFIG. 16. The memory (e.g., data stores, databases) of the subjectsystems and methods is intended to comprise, without being limited to,these and any other suitable types of memory. Moreover, the networkselection component 112 can analyze various parameters, such as, but notlimited to, device preferences 306, application preferences 308,policies 310 (e.g., user defined policies, operator/serviceprovider-defined policies, etc.) to determine which RAN is best suited(e.g., in terms of efficiency, user experience, etc.) for communication.For example, the network selection component 112 can determine whichapplication running on UE 102 should be steered to which particular RANbased on operator's policy and/or information gathered locally from thedata store 304 and/or from the network. Further, the network selectioncomponent 112 can also utilize UE 102 related data, for example,location, speed, motion, and/or direction of travel, of the UE 102 tofacilitate network selection. As an example, steering a fast moving UE102, or a UE at a specified location/area, to a WLAN network is notpreferred. In another example, since certain applications (e.g., voice)may not be suited for WLAN communications, steering data associatedthose applications to the WLAN is not preferred.

Further, the data reception component 302 can also receive, from theaccess point 104 and/or the target access point 110, information relatedto the target access point 110 such as (but not limited to) loadconditions and/or cell type information. The network selection component112 can utilize this data to facilitate network selection. For example,if determined that the target access point 110 is highly congested, thenetwork selection component 112 can determine that the traffic of the UE102 is not to be steered to the target RAN, and can instruct the UE 102to continue communication via the access point 104. In one aspect, sincemacro cells and small cells have different coverage areas, the cell typeinformation can also be utilized to facilitate efficient networkselection. For example, if the UE 102 is moving at a high speed (e.g.,above a specified speed threshold, for example, at 25 mph) networkselection component 112 can select the target access point 110 if thetarget access point 110 is a macro access point; else, continue to becoupled to the access point 104 if the target access point 110 is a WLANor a femtocell/picocell.

According to an aspect, the network selection component 112 can performnetwork selection periodically, on-demand, in response to detecting anevent (e.g., receipt of load information and/or the SS criterion). If anew network has been selected the UE 102 can initiate attachmentsignaling to connect to the new network; else the UE 102 can continue tobe connect to and communicate via the existing network. It is noted thatthe UE 102 is not limited to communicating all data (e.g., IP flows)through the new network and that the UE 102 can select a first portionof data (e.g., select a first set of IP flows) that can be communicatedvia the new network (e.g., via target access point 110) and a secondportion of data (e.g., select a second set of IP flows) that can becommunicated via the old network (e.g., via access point 104). As anexample, the selection of the data (e.g., IP flows) can be based onoperator policy(ies), e.g. using an access network discovery andselection function (ANDSF). The operator policies can be received by theUE 102 from an ANDSF server (now shown) within (or coupled to) themobility network and stored as policies 310. For example, the operatorpolicies can include an Inter-system mobility policy (ISMP) and/or anInter-system routing policy (ISRP). The ISMP specifies that only oneradio access network can be active (e.g., accessed) at a given time(e.g., all the traffic associated with UE 102 is communicated either viaaccess point 104 or via target access point 110). The ISRP specifiesthat the UE 102 can access more than one radio access network at a giventime (e.g., some traffic can be communicated via the target access point110 based on operator ISRP policy). As an example, the policy canspecify (but is not limited to) when a serving cellular network becomescongested, if the UE 102 is selected (e.g., based on SS criterion and/orvarious parameter utilized by the network selection component 112) to besteered to the target radio access point device 110, only dataassociated with certain applications, or requiring certainbandwidth/Quality of Service, etc. (e.g., streaming video) can besteered to the target access point device 110, while other dataassociated with other applications, or requiring other bandwidth/Qualityof Service, etc. (e.g., VoIP) can be communicated via the access point104.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate example systems (400, 450) that facilitatetraffic steering based on an adaptive SS criterion, according to anaspect of the disclosed subject matter. Systems 400, 450 depict trafficsteering from a first network (e.g., a cellular network) to one or moresecond networks (e.g., WLAN), for example, that are commonly operated.Moreover, system 400 depicts traffic steering in a lightly congestednetwork, while system 450 depicts traffic steering in a more heavilycongested network. It can be noted that the first and second network canuse different or the same RATs, frequencies, and/or protocols forcommunication with the UE. The access point 104 can includefunctionality as more fully described herein, for example, as describedabove with regard to systems 100-300. Further, the UEs 102 a-102 h canbe substantially similar to UE 102 and can include functionality as morefully described herein, for example, as described above with regard tothe UE 102. Although eight UEs 102 a-102 h are depicted in the coveragearea 404, it can be appreciated that the subject disclosure is notlimited to eight UEs and coverage area 404 can include one or more UEs.In addition, target access points 110 ₁ and 110 ₂ can be substantiallysimilar to target access point 110 and can include functionality as morefully described herein, for example, as described above with regard tothe target access point 110. Although only two target access points 110₁ and 110 ₂ are depicted to have coverage areas (402 ₁, 402 ₂) thatoverlap (e.g., completely or partially) the coverage area of the accesspoint 104, it can be appreciated that the subject disclosure is notlimited to two target access points and can include one or more targetaccess points.

When the first RAN (e.g., cellular RAN) is not congested, the networkoperator would typically prefer to serve its customers' traffic via thecellular network itself, for example, to provide cellular servicesand/or a better end customer experience. As the congestion level offirst RAN increases (e.g., data traffic through access point 104increases), the access point 104 can steer traffic of some of the UEs102 a-102 h within its coverage area to one or more target access points(110 ₁, 110 ₂). FIG. 4A depicts an example scenario, wherein the firstRAN is lightly congested, for example, with 70% load, congestion levelset to “medium,” etc. (e.g., determined by the load determinationcomponent 202). In this example, scenario, the access point 104 candetermine (e.g., by employing SS criterion determination component 208)a first SST 408 ₁ and transmit the first SST 408 ₁ to one or more of theUEs 102 a-102 h. For example, the SST 408 ₁ can be set at −108 dB.Typically, the SST 408 ₁ can be determined in a manner such that trafficassociated with some of the UEs 102 a-102 h (e.g., UEa and UEb), thatexperience poor signal quality (e.g., received signal strength is lessthan the SST 408 ₁) can be steered from the first RAN to a second RAN ofthe target access point 110 ₁. The remaining UEs (e.g., UEc-UEg) thatexperience better signal quality (e.g., received signal strength isgreater than the SST 408 ₁) and/or the UEs (e.g., UEh) that are notwithin a coverage area of another RAN can continue to be served by andcommunicate via the access point 104. Moreover, the SST value ismodified such that traffic associated with UEs that are at the cell edgeand/or UEs that experience poor radio quality is steered to the targetRAN before steering traffic associated with UEs that are at not as closethe cell edge and/or UEs that experience better radio quality.

It is noted that the UEa and UEb can consider additional criteria priorto attaching to the target access point 110 ₁ such as (but not limitedto) determining that the signal quality associated with a signalreceived from the target access point 110 ₁ is greater than a definedthreshold. As an example, UEa and/or UEb can scan the target accesspoint 110 ₁ via a Hotspot2.0 (HS2.0) Beacon and/or Access Network QueryProtocol (ANQP) to determine quality information associated with thetarget access point 110 ₁. Further, the additional criterion can include(but is not limited to), determining that the UE (e.g., UEa and UEb)satisfies a speed and/or motion criterion (e.g., the UE is moving at aspeed less than a predefined threshold speed), determining thatapplication and/or services running on the UE (e.g., UEa and UEb) aresupported by the target access point 110 ₁, determining that userpreferences are satisfied, and so on.

Referring now to FIG. 4B, there depicted is an example scenario, whereinthe first RAN is heavily congested, for example, with 88% load,congestion level set to “Medium,” etc. (e.g., determined by the loaddetermination component 202). In this example, scenario, the accesspoint 104 determines (e.g., by employing SS criterion determinationcomponent 208) a second SST 408 ₂ and transmits the second SST 408 ₂ toone or more of the UEs 102 a-102 h. The second SST 408 ₂ is typicallyhigher than the first SST 408 ₁. For example, based on the increase innetwork congestion, the access point can change the SST from −108 dB to−105 dB. Accordingly, a traffic associated with greater number of UEs(UEa-UEe) can be steered to target radio access networks. The remainingUEs (e.g., UEf) that experience better signal quality (e.g., receivedsignal strength is greater than the SST 408 ₂) and/or the UEs (e.g.,UEg-UEh) that are not within a coverage area of another RAN can continueto be served by and communicate via the access point 104. As discussedsupra, it is noted that UEa-UEe can consider additional criteria priorto attaching to the target access points 110 ₁ and 110 ₂ such as (butnot limited to) signal quality associated with a signal received fromthe target access points 110 ₁ and 110 ₂, the speed and/or motioncriterion, application and/or services criterion, user preferencecriterion, and the like.

Further, it can be noted that as the congestion of the first RANdecreases, the SST value can be adjusted accordingly (e.g., the secondSST 408 ₂ can be changed back to the first SST 408 ₁). Furthermore, itcan be noted that even when first RAN is not congested, some UEs (e.g.,UEa) might experience poor RF quality associated with signals receivedfrom the access point 104, but robust signal reception and qualityassociated with the target access point 110 ₁. In this example scenario,UEa can be steered to attach to and communicate via the target accesspoint 110 ₁.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there illustrated is an example system 500 thatfacilitates query-based network selection, according to one or moreaspects of the disclosed subject matter. In one example, system 500 canbe utilized in an example scenario wherein the access point 502 (e.g.,base station, eNB, HNB, etc.) serving the UE 102 does not supportdetermination and/or transmission of the SS criterion. In anotherexample, system 500 can be utilized in an example scenario wherein theUE 102 performs load management in an active mode (e.g., during anongoing communication session). In this example, the access point 502may or may not support the determination and/or transmission of the SScriterion. It can be noted that the UE 102, the network selectioncomponent 112, the communication network 204, and the data receptioncomponent 302 can include functionality as more fully described herein,for example, as described above with regard to systems 100-400.

In one aspect, if the UE 102 determines that it is not served by acarrier/access point that transmits network load and/or SS criteriondata, the data reception component 302 can query a network loadmanagement system 504 via an access point 502 to request for the networkload and SS criterion data. As an example, the query can be transmittedperiodically (e.g., based on predefined timing intervals), on-demand, inresponse to an event, etc. Typically, the query can be sent more or lessfrequently based upon the performance of the current servedtechnology/carrier/layer. Further, the query can be sent when the UE 102is operating in an idle mode (e.g., no ongoing communication sessions)or in an active mode (e.g., the UE is performing one or more ongoingcommunication sessions). Broadcast messages (if transmitted by theaccess point 502) can be received, read and/or followed the UE 102 whenthe UE 102 is in the idle mode and/or in a connected mode (e.g.,performing an on-going communication session). In addition, in oneexample, the UE 102 can facilitate load management during an active modeby transmitting the query to the network load management system 504, forexample, when determined that the UE 102 is suffering the effects ofcongestion in-call. For example, if the UE 102 determines during anongoing communication session that resources grants are getting sparse,the UE 102 can transmit the query to the network load management system502 to find a better (e.g., non-overloaded) cell (e.g., while stillactive in-call). In one example, if the network load management system504 and/or the serving cell are too overloaded to respond to the query,cached load information can be transmitted to the UE 102, which in turncan utilize the cached load information to find a less loaded cell. Inthis example case, the UE 102 can search for target cells during anongoing communication session by taking a reception break (e.g.,gap-assisted measurements) on the serving cell.

In response to the query, the network load management system 504 candetermine the load information and SS criterion data requested in thequery and provide the requested information to the UE 102 in one or moreresponse messages transmitted via the access point 502. In one aspect,the network load management system 504 can collect load data from one ormore access points (e.g., access point 502) deployed in thecommunication network 204. For example, the one or more access points(e.g., access point 502) can report load data to the network loadmanagement system 504 (e.g., periodically, when a change is network loadis detected, etc.). It can be noted that the network load managementsystem 504 can collect the load data in a pull configuration with theone or more access points (e.g., access point 502) and/or receive theload data pushed by one or more access points (e.g., access point 502).Based on an analysis of the collected data, the network load managementsystem 504 can utilize SS criterion determination component 506 toidentify SS criteria corresponding to different sectors/access points ofthe communication network 204. It can be noted that SS criteriondetermination component 506 can be substantially similar to SS criteriondetermination component 208 and can include functionality as more fullydescribed herein, for example, as described above with regard SScriterion determination component 208. In one aspect, the response sentby the network load management system 504 can be customized for the UE102, for example, based on a subscriber class associated with the UE102. In one example, data indicative of the subscriber class can bereceived from the UE 102 in the query and/or can be received from asubscriber data store (not shown) of the communication network 204. Forexample, if determined that the UE 102 is associated with a base rateplan, the network load management system 504 can transmit a responsecustomized for the base rate plan that can only include informationrelated to a target access point (e.g., Wi-Fi access point): whereas, ifdetermined that UE 102 is associated with a higher tier, the networkload management system 504 can transmit a response that comprises morecomprehensive network load information (e.g., load informationassociated with different layers of LTE network).

Although the network load management system 504 is illustrated as beingremotely coupled to the access point 502, It can be noted that thenetwork load management system 504 can be locally coupled to the accesspoint 502 (e.g., within the RAN) or can be located elsewhere within thecommunication network 204.

In an aspect, the query generated by UE 102 can include data such as(but not limited to) the served physical cell ID (PCI) of the accesspoint 502 to which the UE 102 is connected, the cell identifier (ID)associated with the access point 502, the Basic Service Set IDentifier(BSSID) and/or the Service Set Identifier (SSID) (if the RAN includes oris otherwise capable of receiving load information from a nearby a Wi-Finetwork). Based on the PCI/SSID/BSSID, the network load managementsystem 504 can identify the network sectors corresponding to the accesspoint 502 and/or one or more neighboring access points (not shown),dynamically determine (and/or lookup) the corresponding SS criterion andnetwork load information, and transmit the determined information to theUE 102. The UE 102 can receive the SS criterion and network loadinformation (e.g., via the data reception component 302) and analyze theSS criterion and network load information to facilitate networkselection (e.g., via the network selection component 112).

Referring now to FIG. 6, there illustrated is an example system 600 thatfacilitates network selection based on stored SS criteria, in accordancewith an aspect of the subject disclosure. It can be noted that the UE102, the network selection component 112, and the data receptioncomponent 302 can include functionality as more fully described herein,for example, as described above with regard to systems 100-500.

In one example, the UE 102 can include a data store 602 (the same as ordifferent from data store 304) that can be utilized to store SS criteriarecords 604. In one aspect, the records 604 can retain SS criteria datacorresponding to different network load classification values (e.g.,“high, “low,” “70%”, “90%,” etc.). For example, for a 70% load value,the corresponding SS criteria can include a SST value of −108 dB; andfor an 88% load value, the corresponding SS criteria can include a SSTvalue of −105 dB. In one example, the records 604 can be predefined byan operator, periodically (e.g., via over-the-air updates), duringinitialization, during power on, on-demand, etc. In another example, therecords 604 can be populated by UE 102, based on the messages (e.g., SIBmessage, cell broadcast message, etc.) received from an access point(e.g., access point 104). Once populated (or partially populated), theUE 102 can employ the records 604 to facilitate efficient networkselection. In this example scenario, an access point serving the UE 102can simply provide load information (and need not transmit SS criteria)to the UE 102. Based on the load information, the UE 102 can lookup therecords 604 to determine a corresponding SS criterion, which can beutilized to facilitate network selection (e.g., by employing networkselection component 112).

Referring now to FIG. 7, there illustrated is an example system 700 thatoffloads a portion of UEs from a first RAN to a second RAN based onrandom number generation, in one aspect of the subject disclosure. It isnoted that the UE 102, the access point 104, the network selectioncomponent 112, and the data reception component 302 can includefunctionality as more fully described herein, for example, as describedabove with regard to systems 100-600. Consider an example scenario,wherein network congestion of the first RAN is “High” and trafficassociated with a large number of UEs, coupled to the first RAN, aresteered to the second RAN. In this example scenario, the steering cancause congestion in the second RAN and the UEs can be handed back to thefirst RAN. This can lead to a ping-pong effect, wherein the UEs arehanded over between the first RAN and the second RAN. To avoid thisping-pong effect, the access point 104 can transmit a calculated integer“A”, e.g., in the range of 0-10, along with the load and SS criterion toonly steer a portion of UEs to the second RAN. As an example, thecalculated integer can be determined based on sequential counter and/ora random number generator. Further, each UE (e.g., UE 102) can generatea random number “X”, e.g., which is also in the range of 0-10, forexample by employing a random number generator 702. As an example, therandom number generator 702 can generate the random number in accordancewith a class of users with similar service characteristics. Further,based on a defined (e.g., operator-defined) steering policy that employsthe generated random number “X” and the received integer “A”, thenetwork selection component 112 can determine whether traffic associatedwith the UE is to be steered to the second RAN. For example, the networkselection component 112 can compare the generated random number “X” tothe received integer “A” and if determined that “X” is less than “A”,the network selection component 112 can facilitate steering the UE tothe second RAN; otherwise the UE can continue to be coupled to theaccess point 104. Although depicted to reside within the UE 102, it canbe appreciated that the random number generator can be locally orremotely coupled to the UE 102.

Referring now to FIG. 8, there illustrated is an example system 800 thatemploys one ore more artificial intelligence (AI) components (802 ₁, 802₂), which facilitate automating one or more features in accordance withthe subject embodiments. It can be appreciated that the UE 102, theaccess point 104, the SS criterion data 106, the network load data 108,the network selection component 112, the SS criterion determinationcomponent 208, the data transfer component 212, and the data receptioncomponent 302 can include respective functionality, as more fullydescribed herein, for example, with regard to systems 100-700.

An example embodiment, system 800 (e.g., in connection withautomatically determining a SS criterion, data transfer parameter,network selection criterion, etc.) can employ various AI-based schemesfor carrying out various aspects thereof. For example, a process fordetermining optimal SST values/ranges, an optimal time to transfer theSST values/ranges to a UE, determining a number of UEs that are to besteered to a target RAN to efficiently reduce network congestion withoutnegatively impacting user experience, selecting the UEs to which the SSTvalues/ranges are transferred, etc. can be facilitated via an automaticclassifier system implemented by AI component 802 ₁. Additionally oralternatively, a process for determining which network is to beselected, when a query for load/SST data is to be transmitted, etc. canbe facilitated via an automatic classifier system implemented by ATcomponent 802 ₂.

A classifier can be a function that maps an input attribute vector,x=(x1, x2, x3, x4, xn), to a confidence that the input belongs to aclass, that is, f(x)=confidence(class). Such classification can employ aprobabilistic and/or statistical-based analysis (e.g., factoring intothe analysis utilities and costs) to prognose or infer an action that auser desires to be automatically performed. In the case of communicationsystems, for example, attributes can be information received from UEsand/or access points, and the classes can be categories or areas ofinterest (e.g., levels of priorities). A support vector machine (SVM) isan example of a classifier that can be employed. The SVM operates byfinding a hypersurface in the space of possible inputs, which thehypersurface attempts to split the triggering criteria from thenon-triggering events. Intuitively, this makes the classificationcorrect for testing data that is near, but not identical to trainingdata. Other directed and undirected model classification approachesinclude, e.g., naïve Bayes, Bayesian networks, decision trees, neuralnetworks, fuzzy logic models, and probabilistic classification modelsproviding different patterns of independence can be employed.Classification as used herein can also be inclusive of statisticalregression that is utilized to develop models of priority.

As will be readily appreciated from the subject specification, anexample embodiment can employ classifiers that are explicitly trained(e.g., via a generic training data) as well as implicitly trained (e.g.,via observing UE behavior, user/operator preferences, historicalinformation, receiving extrinsic information, network load/congestiontrends, type of UE, type of target RAN, etc.). For example, SVMs can beconfigured via a learning or training phase within a classifierconstructor and feature selection module. Thus, the classifier(s) of AIcomponent 802 ₁ can be used to automatically learn and perform a numberof functions, including but not limited to determining according to apredetermined criteria SST values/ranges related to a network load, whenand/or or to which devices is the network load data 108 to betransmitted, when and/or or to which devices is the SS criterion data106 to be transmitted, how many devices are to be steered to a targetRAN, etc. Further, the classifier(s) of AI component 802 ₂ can be usedto automatically learn and perform a number of functions, including butnot limited to determining according to a predetermined criteria anetwork to which the UE 102 is to be handed over, a time at which aquery for load/SST data is to be transmitted, etc. The criteria caninclude, but is not limited to, historical patterns and/or trends, UEbehavior, user preferences, service provider preferences and/orpolicies, location of the UE, current time, type of UE, type of targetRAN (e.g., macro cell, femtocell, Wi-Fi network, etc.), and the like.

FIGS. 9-12 illustrate flow diagrams and/or methods in accordance withthe disclosed subject matter. For simplicity of explanation, the flowdiagrams and/or methods are depicted and described as a series of acts.It is to be understood and appreciated that the various embodiments arenot limited by the acts illustrated and/or by the order of acts, forexample acts can occur in various orders and/or concurrently, and withother acts not presented and described herein. Furthermore, not allillustrated acts may be required to implement the flow diagrams and/ormethods in accordance with the disclosed subject matter. In addition,those skilled in the art will understand and appreciate that the methodscould alternatively be represented as a series of interrelated statesvia a state diagram or events. Additionally, it should be furtherappreciated that the methods disclosed hereinafter and throughout thisspecification are capable of being stored on an article of manufactureto facilitate transporting and transferring such methods to computers.The term article of manufacture, as used herein, is intended toencompass a computer program accessible from any computer-readabledevice or computer-readable storage/communications media.

Referring now to FIG. 9, illustrated is an example method 900 thattransmits a SS criterion that is employed to facilitate efficienttraffic steering, according to an aspect of the subject disclosure. Asan example, method 900 can be implemented by one or more network devicesof RAN, for example, an access point (e.g., base station, eNB, HNB,etc.) In another example, method 900 can be implemented by one or moredevices of a core mobility network (e.g., network load managementsystem).

At 902, network load associated with the access point and/or RAN can bedetermined. As an example, the network load can represent loadutilization on radio links (e.g., between the access point and one ormore UEs) and/or a transport link (e.g., between the access point andthe core mobility network). Additionally or optionally, the network loadcan represent load utilization of neighboring access points, forexample, received via X2 interfaces enabled by SON and/or most any othertransport mechanisms. Further, the network load can also represent loadutilization of an overlapping cell(s) from other RATs or frequencies(e.g., WLAN cell, Wi-Fi cell, etc.). In one example, the network loadcan be represented as a load level—High, Medium, Low, Normal, etc. Inanother example, the network load can be represented as a percentagevalue—90% congested, 75% congested, 30% congested etc.

At 904, a SS criterion can be determined, for example, that correspondsto the current network load. It can be noted that the SS criterion canhave a dynamic (or static) correspondence with the network load. Forexample, the correspondence can depend on overlapping cell distributionand/or UE distribution within a coverage area of the access point thatcan change with time. The SS criterion can define various parametersthat facilitate steering traffic associated with a set of UEs to theoverlapping cell such as, but not limited to a SST value or SS range. Asan example, as the network load/congestion increases, the SST value canbe increased (and/or SS range can be increased), such that a greaternumber of UEs can be steered to the overlapping cell(s). Additionally oralternatively, the SST value or SS range data can be selected in amanner such that UEs that are closer to a cell edge (e.g., further awayfrom the access point) can be steered to the overlapping cell(s) beforesteering the UEs that are not close to the cell edge. Further, the SSTvalues and/or ranges can be customized based on a type of theoverlapping cell(s) (e.g., different SST values and/or ranges can beassigned for macro networks, femto networks, Wi-Fi networks, etc.).

At 906, the network load and the SS criterion can be transmitted to oneor more UEs that are coupled to the access point, for example, via acell broadcast message(s) (e.g., SIB message). Typically, theinformation can be transmitted periodically, on demand, based ondetecting an event, based on detecting a change in a network loadcondition, etc. Further, the information can be transmitted viadifferent RATs and/or radio frequencies. Moreover, the UEs can utilizethe information to determine whether a handover to (orsimultaneous/additional connection with) the overlapping cell is to beperformed.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example method 1000 that facilitates networkselection to efficiently steer traffic associated with a UE from a firstRAN to a second RAN, according to an aspect of the subject disclosure.As an example, method 1000 can be implemented by a UE to determinewhether a connection to a new network is to be performed. At 1002,network load data can be received, for example, from an access point ofthe first RAN. At 1004, a SS criterion can be received, for example,from the access point. As an example, the network load data and the SScriterion can be received in the same or different cell broadcastmessages (e.g., SIB messages). At 1006, the received information can beanalyzed to determine whether an attachment attempt to connect with thesecond RAN (if available) is to be initiated. Further, at 1008, networkselection (e.g., of the second RAN from a set of available RANs) isfacilitated based on the analysis of the received information. Forexample, it can be determined whether a received signal strength (e.g.,RSRP, RSCP, RSSI, etc.) associated with the first RAN satisfies the SScriterion. If the received signal strength does not satisfy the SScriterion, the second RAN can be selected; else, the first RAN can beselected. Since the SS criterion is adapted to current network loadconditions, the probability of the second RAN being selected is higherif the UE is close to a cell edge of the first RAN. It can be noted thatvarious additional parameters such as (but not limited to) devicepreferences, application preferences, user defined policies,operator/service provider-defined policies, etc. can be employed tofacilitate the network selection.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example method 1100 for determining whethertraffic associated with a UE is to be steered from a first RAN to asecond RAN, according to an aspect of the subject disclosure. As anexample, method 1100 can be implemented by a UE to determine whether ahandover (and/or additional connection) to a new network is to beperformed. At 1102, an adaptable SST can be received, for example, froman access point of the first RAN. As an example, the SST is adaptedbased on real time-network load and can be received via one or more cellbroadcast messages (e.g., SIB messages). At 1104, a received signalstrength (e.g., RSRP, RSCP, RSSI, etc.) associated with the first RANcan be determined. Further, the received signal strength can be comparedwith the SST and at 1106, it can be determined whether the receivedsignal strength is greater than the SST. If determined that the receivedsignal strength is less than the SST then, at 1108, a handover can befacilitated to steer traffic associated with the UE from the first RANto the second RAN. It is noted that the UE is not limited to performinga handover (e.g., disconnecting from the first RAN) and can besimultaneously (or substantially simultaneously) be coupled to both thefirst and the second RAN. In this example scenario, the UE candetermine, based on operator policy and/or application preferences,which data (e.g., a first set of IP flows) is to be communicated via thesecond RAN and which data (e.g., a second set of IP flows) is to becommunicated via the first RAN.

Further, if determined, at 1106, that the received signal strength isgreater than the SST, then, at 1110, the UE can continue to be coupledto and communicate via the first RAN. As the first RAN gets congested,the adaptable SST ensures UEs that are closer to the cell edge to behanded over to overlapping cells prior to handing over UEs that are notclose to the cell edge. Further, the SST is adapted to adjust the numberof UEs that are steered to overlapping cells based on real-time networkload conditions.

Referring now to FIG. 12, there illustrated is an example method 1200that facilitates query-based network selection, according to an aspectof the subject disclosure. As an example, method 1200 can be implementedby a UE to determine whether the UE should connect to a new network. At1202, it can be determined that a serving access point (e.g., servingthe UE) does not support SST determination. In response, at 1204, aquery can be generated to request for the SST. Further, at 1206, thequery can be transmitted to a network management system via the servingaccess point. As an example, the query can include data such as (but notlimited to) a PCI of the serving access point, a cell ID of a cell siteto which the UE is coupled, and/or a BSSID and/or an SSID associatedwith an available WLAN network. Moreover, based on an analysis of thequery, the network load management system can identify the networksector(s) corresponding to the serving access point and/or one or moreneighboring access points, determine the corresponding SST, and transmitthe determined SST to the UE (e.g., via the serving access point). At1208, a response comprising the SST can be received from the networkmanagement system. Further, at 1210, the network selection can befacilitated based on the received SST. For example, the UE can select anoverlapping RAN and perform attachment signaling to connect with theoverlapping RAN, if determined that a signal strength associated with asignal received from the serving access point is less than the SST.

Referring now to FIG. 13, there is illustrated a block diagram of a UE1300 that facilitate network selection based on an adaptable SScriterion in accordance with the subject specification. Moreover, the UE1300 can be substantially similar to and include functionalityassociated with UE 102 described herein. In one aspect, the UE 1300 caninclude a processor 1302 for controlling all onboard operations andprocesses. A memory 1304 can interface to the processor 1302 for storageof data (e.g., including data retained in data store 304 and/or datastore 602) and one or more applications 1306 being executed by theprocessor 1302. A communications component 1308 can interface to theprocessor 1302 to facilitate wired/wireless communication with externalsystems (e.g., via access point 104, target access point 110,communication network 204, etc.). The communications component 1308 caninterface to a location component 1309 (e.g., GPS transceiver) that canfacilitate location detection of the UE 1300.

The UE 1300 can include a display 1310 for displaying received content(and/or content to be transferred) and/or for displaying textinformation related to operating and using the device features. A serialI/O interface 1312 is provided in communication with the processor 1302to facilitate serial communication (e.g., USB, and/or IEEE 1394) via ahardwire connection. Audio capabilities are provided with an audio I/Ocomponent 1314, which can include a speaker for the output of audiosignals related to, for example, recorded data or telephony voice data,and a microphone for inputting voice signals for recording and/ortelephone conversations.

Further, the UE 1300 can include a slot interface 1316 for accommodatinga subscriber identity module (SIM) 1318. Firmware 1320 is also providedto store and provide to the processor 1302 startup and operational data.The UE 1300 can also include an image capture component 1322 such as acamera and/or a video decoder 1324 for decoding encoded multimediacontent. Further, the UE 1300 can include a power source 1326 in theform of batteries, which power source 1326 interfaces to an externalpower system or charging equipment via a power I/O component 1328. Inaddition, the UE 1300 can include the network selection component 112,the data reception component 302, the random number generator 702 andthe AI component 802 ₂, which can be stored in memory 1304 and/orimplemented by an application 1306, can include respectivefunctionality, as more fully described herein, for example, with regardto systems 100-800.

To provide further context for various aspects of the subjectspecification, FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrate, respectively, a block diagramof an example embodiment 1400 of an access point that facilitatestraffic steering based on an adaptable SS criterion to facilitatetraffic steering and a wireless communication environment 1500, withassociated components for operation of efficient network selection inaccordance with aspects described herein.

With respect to FIG. 14, in example embodiment 1400, access point 104can receive and transmit signal(s) (e.g., traffic and control signals)from and to wireless devices, access terminals, wireless ports androuters, etc., through a set of antennas 1469 ₁-1469 _(N). It should beappreciated that while antennas 1469 ₁-1469 _(N) are a part ofcommunication platform 1425, which comprises electronic components andassociated circuitry that provides for processing and manipulating ofreceived signal(s) (e.g., a packet flow) and signal(s) (e.g., abroadcast control channel) to be transmitted. In an aspect,communication platform 1425 can include a transmitter/receiver (e.g., atransceiver) 1466 that can convert signal(s) from analog format todigital format (e.g., analog-to-digital conversion) upon reception, andfrom digital format to analog (e.g., digital-to-analog conversion)format upon transmission. In addition, receiver/transmitter 1466 candivide a single data stream into multiple, parallel data streams, orperform the reciprocal operation. Coupled to transceiver 1466 is amultiplexer/demultiplexer 1467 that facilitates manipulation of signalin time and/or frequency space. Electronic component 1467 can multiplexinformation (data/traffic and control/signaling) according to variousmultiplexing schemes such as time division multiplexing (TDM), frequencydivision multiplexing (FDM), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing(OFDM), code division multiplexing (CDM), space division multiplexing(SDM), etc. In addition, mux/demux component 1467 can scramble andspread information (e.g., codes) according to substantially any codeknown in the art; e.g., Hadamard-Walsh codes, Baker codes, Kasami codes,polyphase codes, and so on. A modulator/demodulator 1468 is also a partof operational group 1425, and can modulate information according tomultiple modulation techniques, such as frequency modulation, amplitudemodulation (e.g., M-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), with M apositive integer), phase-shift keying (PSK), and the like.

Access point 104 also includes a processor 1445 configured to conferfunctionality, at least partially, to substantially any electroniccomponent in the access point 104, in accordance with aspects of thesubject disclosure. In particular, processor 1445 can facilitatesimplementing configuration instructions received through communicationplatform 1425, which can include storing data in memory 1455. Inaddition, processor 1445 facilitates processing data (e.g., symbols,bits, or chips, etc.) for multiplexing/demultiplexing, such as effectingdirect and inverse fast Fourier transforms, selection of modulationrates, selection of data packet formats, inter-packet times, etc.Moreover, processor 1445 can manipulate antennas 1469 ₁-1469 _(N) tofacilitate beamforming or selective radiation pattern formation, whichcan benefit specific locations covered by the access point 104; andexploit substantially any other advantages associated with smart-antennatechnology. Memory 1455 can store data structures, code instructions,system or device information like device identification codes (e.g.,International Mobile Station Equipment Identity (IMEI), Mobile StationInternational Subscriber Directory Number (MSISDN), serial number . . .) and specification such as multimode capabilities; code sequences forscrambling; spreading and pilot transmission, floor plan configuration,access point deployment and frequency plans; and so on. Moreover, memory1455 can store configuration information such as schedules and policies;geographical indicator(s); network load data, SST data, historical logs,and so forth.

In embodiment 1400, processor 1445 can be coupled to the memory 1455 inorder to store and retrieve information necessary to operate and/orconfer functionality to communication platform 1425, network interface1435 (e.g., that coupled the access point to core network devices suchas but not limited to a network controller), and other operationalcomponents (e.g., multimode chipset(s), power supply sources . . . ; notshown) that support access point 104. The access point 104 can furtherinclude a load determination component 202, a SS criterion determinationcomponent 208, a data transfer component 212, and/or an AI component 802₁, which can include functionality, as more fully described herein, forexample, with regard to systems 100-400 and 600-800. In addition, it isto be noted that the various aspects disclosed in the subjectspecification can also be implemented through (i) program modules storedin a computer-readable storage medium or memory (e.g., memory 1455) andexecuted by a processor (e.g., processor 1445), or (ii) othercombination(s) of hardware and software, or hardware and firmware.

Referring now to FIG. 15, there illustrated is a wireless communicationenvironment 1500 that includes two wireless network platforms: (i) Afirst network platform 1510 (e.g., macro network platform) that serves,or facilitates communication with user equipment 1575 via a first RAN1570. As an example, in cellular wireless technologies (e.g., 3GPP UMTS,HSPA, 3GPP LTE, 3GPP UMB, 4G LTE, etc.), the first network platform 1510can be embodied in a Core Network; and (ii) A second network platform1580 (e.g., WLAN platform), which can provide communication with UE 1575through a second RAN 1590 linked to the second network platform 1580. Itshould be appreciated that the second network platform 1580 can offloadUE 1575 from the first network platform 1510, once UE 1575 attaches(e.g., based on the traffic steering described herein) to the secondRAN. In one example, the first RAN and the second RAN can be commonlyoperated and/or deployed by a common service provider.

It is noted that RAN (1570 and/or 1590) includes base station(s), oraccess point(s), and its associated electronic circuitry and deploymentsite(s), in addition to a wireless radio link operated in accordancewith the base station(s). Accordingly, the first RAN 1570 can comprisevarious access points like access point 104, while the second RAN 1590can comprise multiple access points like access point 110.

Both the first and the second network platforms 1510 and 1580 caninclude components, e.g., nodes, gateways, interfaces, servers, orplatforms, that facilitate packet-switched (PS) and/or circuit-switched(CS) traffic (e.g., voice and data) and control generation for networkedwireless communication. For example, the first network platform 1510includes CS gateway node(s) 1512 which can interface CS traffic receivedfrom legacy networks like telephony network(s) 1540 (e.g., publicswitched telephone network (PSTN), or public land mobile network (PLMN))or a SS7 network 1560. Moreover, CS gateway node(s) 1512 interfacesCS-based traffic and signaling and gateway node(s) 1518. In addition toreceiving and processing CS-switched traffic and signaling, gatewaynode(s) 1518 can authorize and authenticate PS-based data sessions withserved (e.g., through the first RAN 1570) wireless devices. Datasessions can include traffic exchange with networks external to thefirst network platform 1510, like wide area network(s) (WANs) 1550; itshould be appreciated that local area network(s) (LANs) can also beinterfaced with first network platform 1510 through gateway node(s)1518. Gateway node(s) 1518 generates packet data contexts when a datasession is established. It should be further appreciated that thepacketized communication can include multiple flows that can begenerated through server(s) 1514. The first network platform 1510 alsoincludes serving node(s) 1516 that conveys the various packetized flowsof information or data streams, received through gateway node(s) 1518.It is to be noted that server(s) 1514 can include one or more processorsconfigured to confer at least in part the functionality of first networkplatform 1510. To that end, one or more processors can execute codeinstructions stored in memory 1530 or other computer-readable medium,for example.

In example wireless environment 1500, memory 1530 can store informationrelated to operation of first network platform 1510. Information caninclude business data associated with subscribers; market plans andstrategies, e.g., promotional campaigns, business partnerships;operational data for mobile devices served through first networkplatform; service and privacy policies; end-user service logs for lawenforcement; and so forth. Memory 1530 can also store information fromat least one of telephony network(s) 1540, WAN(s) 1550, or SS7 network1560. Many different types of information can be stored in memory 1530without departing from example embodiments.

Gateway node(s) 1584 can have substantially the same functionality as PSgateway node(s) 1518. Additionally or optionally, the gateway node(s)1584 can also include substantially all functionality of serving node(s)1516. In an aspect, the gateway node(s) 1584 can facilitate handoverresolution, e.g., assessment and execution. Server(s) 1582 havesubstantially the same functionality as described in connection withserver(s) 1514 and can include one or more processors configured toconfer at least in part the functionality of the first network platform1510. In one example, the network load management system 504 can beimplemented or executed by server(s) 1582 and/or server(s) 1514. To thatend, the one or more processor can execute code instructions stored inmemory 1586, for example.

Memory 1586 can include information relevant to operation of the variouscomponents of the second network platform 1580. For example operationalinformation that can be stored in memory 1586 can comprise, but is notlimited to, subscriber information; contracted services; maintenance andservice records; cell configuration (e.g., devices served through secondRAN 1590; access control lists, or white lists); service policies andspecifications; privacy policies; add-on features; and so forth.

Referring now to FIG. 16, there is illustrated a block diagram of acomputer 1602 operable to execute the disclosed communicationarchitecture. In order to provide additional context for various aspectsof the disclosed subject matter, FIG. 16 and the following discussionare intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitablecomputing environment 1600 in which the various aspects of thespecification can be implemented. While the specification has beendescribed above in the general context of computer-executableinstructions that can run on one or more computers, those skilled in theart will recognize that the specification also can be implemented incombination with other program modules and/or as a combination ofhardware and software.

Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components, datastructures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particularabstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciatethat the inventive methods can be practiced with other computer systemconfigurations, including single-processor or multiprocessor computersystems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, as well as personalcomputers, hand-held computing devices, microprocessor-based orprogrammable consumer electronics, and the like, each of which can beoperatively coupled to one or more associated devices.

The illustrated aspects of the specification can also be practiced indistributed computing environments where certain tasks are performed byremote processing devices that are linked through a communicationsnetwork. In a distributed computing environment, program modules can belocated in both local and remote memory storage devices.

Computing devices typically include a variety of media, which caninclude computer-readable storage media and/or communications media,which two terms are used herein differently from one another as follows.Computer-readable storage media can be any available storage media thatcan be accessed by the computer and includes both volatile andnonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example,and not limitation, computer-readable storage media can be implementedin connection with any method or technology for storage of informationsuch as computer-readable instructions, program modules, structureddata, or unstructured data. Computer-readable storage media can include,but are not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memorytechnology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disk (DVD) or other optical diskstorage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage orother magnetic storage devices, or other tangible and/or non-transitorymedia which can be used to store desired information. Computer-readablestorage media can be accessed by one or more local or remote computingdevices, e.g., via access requests, queries or other data retrievalprotocols, for a variety of operations with respect to the informationstored by the medium.

Communications media typically embody computer-readable instructions,data structures, program modules or other structured or unstructureddata in a data signal such as a modulated data signal, e.g., a carrierwave or other transport mechanism, and includes any information deliveryor transport media. The term “modulated data signal” or signals refersto a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changedin such a manner as to encode information in one or more signals. By wayof example, and not limitation, communication media include wired media,such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless mediasuch as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.

With reference again to FIG. 16, the example environment 1600 forimplementing various aspects of the specification includes a computer1602, the computer 1602 including a processing unit 1604, a systemmemory 1606 and a system bus 1608. As an example, the component(s),server(s), equipment, system(s), and/or device(s) (e.g., user equipment102, access point 104, target access point 110, network selectioncomponent 112, load determination component 202, SS criteriondetermination component 208, data transfer component 212, data receptioncomponent 302, access point 502, SS criterion determination component504, random number generator 702, AI components 802 ₁-802 ₂, etc.)disclosed herein with respect to system 100-800 can each include atleast a portion of the computer 1602. The system bus 1608 couples systemcomponents including, but not limited to, the system memory 1606 to theprocessing unit 1604. The processing unit 1604 can be any of variouscommercially available processors. Dual microprocessors and othermulti-processor architectures can also be employed as the processingunit 1604.

The system bus 1608 can be any of several types of bus structure thatcan further interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memorycontroller), a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety ofcommercially available bus architectures. The system memory 1606includes read-only memory (ROM) 1610 and random access memory (RAM)1612. A basic input/output system (BIOS) is stored in a non-volatilememory 1610 such as ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, which BIOS contains the basicroutines that help to transfer information between elements within thecomputer 1602, such as during startup. The RAM 1612 can also include ahigh-speed RAM such as static RAM for caching data.

The computer 1602 further includes an internal hard disk drive (HDD)1614, which internal hard disk drive 1614 can also be configured forexternal use in a suitable chassis (not shown), a magnetic floppy diskdrive (FDD) 1616, (e.g., to read from or write to a removable diskette1618) and an optical disk drive 1620, (e.g., reading a CD-ROM disk 1622or, to read from or write to other high capacity optical media such asthe DVD). The hard disk drive 1614, magnetic disk drive 1616 and opticaldisk drive 1620 can be connected to the system bus 1608 by a hard diskdrive interface 1624, a magnetic disk drive interface 1626 and anoptical drive interface 1628, respectively. The interface 1624 forexternal drive implementations includes at least one or both ofUniversal Serial Bus (USB) and IEEE 1394 interface technologies. Otherexternal drive connection technologies are within contemplation of thesubject disclosure.

The drives and their associated computer-readable storage media providenonvolatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executableinstructions, and so forth. For the computer 1602, the drives andstorage media accommodate the storage of any data in a suitable digitalformat. Although the description of computer-readable storage mediaabove refers to a HDD, a removable magnetic diskette, and a removableoptical media such as a CD or DVD, it should be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art that other types of storage media which are readableby a computer, such as zip drives, magnetic cassettes, flash memorycards, cartridges, and the like, can also be used in the exampleoperating environment, and further, that any such storage media cancontain computer-executable instructions for performing the methods ofthe specification.

A number of program modules can be stored in the drives and RAM 1612,including an operating system 1630, one or more application programs1632, other program modules 1634 and program data 1636. All or portionsof the operating system, applications, modules, and/or data can also becached in the RAM 1612. It is appreciated that the specification can beimplemented with various commercially available operating systems orcombinations of operating systems.

A user can enter commands and information into the computer 1602 throughone or more wired/wireless input devices, e.g., a keyboard 1638 and/or apointing device, such as a mouse 1640 or a touchscreen or touchpad (notillustrated, but which may be integrated into UE 102 in someembodiments). These and other input devices are often connected to theprocessing unit 1604 through an input device interface 1642 that iscoupled to the system bus 1608, but can be connected by otherinterfaces, such as a parallel port, an IEEE 1394 serial port, a gameport, a USB port, an IR interface, etc. A monitor 1644 or other type ofdisplay device is also connected to the system bus 1608 via aninterface, such as a video adapter 1646.

The computer 1602 can operate in a networked environment using logicalconnections via wired and/or wireless communications to one or moreremote computers, such as a remote computer(s) 1648. The remotecomputer(s) 1648 can be a workstation, a server computer, a router, apersonal computer, portable computer, microprocessor-based entertainmentappliance, a peer device or other common network node, and typicallyincludes many or all of the elements described relative to the computer1602, although, for purposes of brevity, only a memory/storage device1650 is illustrated. The logical connections depicted includewired/wireless connectivity to a local area network (LAN) 1652 and/orlarger networks, e.g., a wide area network (WAN) 1654. Such LAN and WANnetworking environments are commonplace in offices and companies, andfacilitate enterprise-wide computer networks, such as intranets, all ofwhich can connect to a global communications network, e.g., theInternet.

When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 1602 isconnected to the local network 1652 through a wired and/or wirelesscommunication network interface or adapter 1656. The adapter 1656 canfacilitate wired or wireless communication to the LAN 1652, which canalso include a wireless access point disposed thereon for communicatingwith the wireless adapter 1656.

When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 1602 can includea modem 1658, or is connected to a communications server on the WAN1654, or has other means for establishing communications over the WAN1654, such as by way of the Internet. The modem 1658, which can beinternal or external and a wired or wireless device, is connected to thesystem bus 1608 via the serial port interface 1642. In a networkedenvironment, program modules depicted relative to the computer 1602, orportions thereof, can be stored in the remote memory/storage device1650. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown areexample and other means of establishing a communications link betweenthe computers can be used.

The computer 1602 is operable to communicate with any wireless devicesor entities operatively disposed in wireless communication, e.g.,desktop and/or portable computer, server, communications satellite, etc.This includes at least Wi-Fi and Bluetooth™ wireless technologies. Thus,the communication can be a predefined structure as with a conventionalnetwork or simply an ad hoc communication between at least two devices.

Wi-Fi, or Wireless Fidelity, allows connection to the Internet from acouch at home, a bed in a hotel room, or a conference room at work,without wires. Wi-Fi is a wireless technology similar to that used in acell phone that enables such devices, e.g., computers, to send andreceive data indoors and out; anywhere within the range of a basestation. Wi-Fi networks use radio technologies called IEEE 802.11 (a, b,g, n, etc.) to provide secure, reliable, fast wireless connectivity. AWi-Fi network can be used to connect computers to each other, to theInternet, and to wired networks (which use IEEE 802.3 or Ethernet).Wi-Fi networks operate in the unlicensed 5 GHz radio band at an 54 Mbps(802.11a) data rate, and/or a 2.4 GHz radio band at an 11 Mbps(802.11b), an 54 Mbps (802.11g) data rate, or up to an 600 Mbps(802.11n) data rate for example, or with products that contain bothbands (dual band), so the networks can provide real-world performancesimilar to the basic 10BaseT wired Ethernet networks used in manyoffices.

As employed in the subject specification, the term “processor” can referto substantially any computing processing unit or device comprising, butnot limited to comprising, single-core processors; single-processorswith software multithread execution capability; multi-core processors;multi-core processors with software multithread execution capability;multi-core processors with hardware multithread technology; parallelplatforms; and parallel platforms with distributed shared memory.Additionally, a processor can refer to an integrated circuit, anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signalprocessor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmablelogic controller (PLC), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), adiscrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or anycombination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein.Processors can exploit nano-scale architectures such as, but not limitedto, molecular and quantum-dot based transistors, switches and gates, inorder to optimize space usage or enhance performance of user equipment.A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computingprocessing units.

In the subject specification, terms such as “data store,” data storage,”“database,” “cache,” and substantially any other information storagecomponent relevant to operation and functionality of a component, referto “memory components,” or entities embodied in a “memory” or componentscomprising the memory. It will be appreciated that the memorycomponents, or computer-readable storage media, described herein can beeither volatile memory or nonvolatile memory, or can include bothvolatile and nonvolatile memory. By way of illustration, and notlimitation, nonvolatile memory can include read only memory (ROM),programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM),electrically erasable ROM (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory caninclude random access memory (RAM), which acts as external cache memory.By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM is available in manyforms such as synchronous RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronousDRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM(ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct Rambus RAM (DRRAM).Additionally, the disclosed memory components of systems or methodsherein are intended to comprise, without being limited to comprising,these and any other suitable types of memory.

What has been described above includes examples of the presentspecification. It is, of course, not possible to describe everyconceivable combination of components or methods for purposes ofdescribing the present specification, but one of ordinary skill in theart may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of thepresent specification are possible. Accordingly, the presentspecification is intended to embrace all such alterations, modificationsand variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appendedclaims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used ineither the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended tobe inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as“comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in aclaim.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: a processor; and a memorythat stores executable instructions that, when executed by theprocessor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising: mappingnetwork load data associated with an access point device to a firstsignal strength to determine a signal strength threshold, wherein thesignal strength threshold corresponds to a classification valuegenerated as a function of a mapping of an input attribute vectorassociated with the access point device; in response to an analysis ofthe network load data, updating device steering data to adjust a userequipment of a number of user equipment that are to be steered from theaccess point device to a network device of a second radio accessnetwork; and in response to determining a second signal strengthassociated with the user equipment satisfies the signal strengththreshold, facilitating a transmission of the device steering data tothe user equipment via the access point device.
 2. The system of claim1, wherein the signal strength threshold represents a threshold of astrength of a signal transmitted from the access point device to one ofthe user equipment.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the updatingcomprises decreasing the threshold in response to determining thatcongestion of network devices of a first radio access network,associated with the access point device, has decreased.
 4. The system ofclaim 2, wherein the updating comprises increasing the threshold inresponse to determining that congestion of network devices of a firstradio access network, associated with the access point device, hasincreased.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the updating the devicesteering data is based on an indication that the user equipment isfarther from the access point device than the number of user equipment.6. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal strength threshold is basedon a previously used signal strength threshold.
 7. The system of claim6, wherein the previously used signal strength threshold is assigned tomacro network devices of a macro network.
 8. The system of claim 6,wherein the previously used signal strength threshold is assigned tonetwork devices of a wireless fidelity network.
 9. The system of claim6, wherein the previously used signal strength threshold is assigned tofemto network devices of a femto network.
 10. The system of claim 1,wherein the mapping comprises mapping the device steering data based ondistribution data indicative of a distribution of the user equipmentwithin a coverage area of the access point device as a function of time.11. A method, comprising: receiving, by a user equipment comprising aprocessor, network load data and signal strength data associated with anaccess point device; determining, by the user equipment, a correspondingsignal strength in relation to the network load data, wherein thecorresponding signal strength comprises a signal strength thresholdselected to facilitate a network selection based on user equipmentsteering criteria, and wherein the signal strength threshold correspondsto a classification value generated as a function of a mapping of aninput attribute vector associated with the access point device; and inresponse to the corresponding signal strength being determined tosatisfy the signal strength threshold, facilitating, by the userequipment, the network selection to determine a radio access networkthat is to be employed by the user equipment for communication.
 12. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the network load data corresponds to acategory associated with a throughput of the access point device. 13.The method of claim 11, wherein a signal strength threshold isassociated with a signal strength range.
 14. The method of claim 11,further comprising: wherein signal strength threshold data represents athreshold of a strength of a signal received by the user equipment fromthe access point device, and wherein the facilitating comprisescomparing the signal strength threshold data with received signalstrength data that represents the strength of the signal received by theuser equipment from the access point device.
 15. The method of claim 14,wherein the receiving comprises receiving the signal strength data via asystem information block message.
 16. The method of claim 15, whereinthe network load data is appended to the system information blockmessage.
 17. A machine-readable storage medium, comprising executableinstructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performanceof operations, comprising: based on load data representing a networkload associated with a first access point device, selectingcommunication data, associated with a user equipment, to be steered fromthe first access point device to a second access point device; selectinga signal strength threshold to facilitate a steering of thecommunication data from the first access point device to the secondaccess point device, wherein the signal strength threshold correspondsto a classification value generated as a function of mapping an inputattribute vector associated with the second access point device; and inresponse to a signal strength associated with the user equipmentsatisfying the signal strength threshold, providing device steering datato the user equipment.
 18. The machine-readable storage medium of claim17, wherein the operations further comprise: directing the devicesteering data via a cell broadcast message to the user equipment. 19.The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the operationsfurther comprise: transmitting a system information block message as apeer-to-peer message to the user equipment.
 20. The machine-readablestorage medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:transmitting the signal strength threshold and the load data, via ashort message service, to the user equipment.